Hello, Crossroads Family!

One of my favorite speakers and authors shared a podcast last weekend about a little verse in Jeremiah where God says to Baruch, the companion and note-taker for Jeremiah, “Are you seeking great things for yourself?  Do not seek them ; for behold, I am going to bring disaster on all flesh” (Jer 45:5).

The podcast had to do with ministry in big churches vs. ministry in small churches.  Are you seeking great things?  Do pastors (or parishioners, for that matter) feel like it’s necessary to be part of a big church?  

The speaker on this podcast had served as pastor in both large and small churches, and he recounted that he was just as happy serving God in a small church as he was in a large church.  Apparently, Ruth Bell Graham, the wife of the famous evangelist Billy Graham who preached, some say, to over 200 million people during his life, said she and Billy would have been just as happy to have been missionaries in some remote part of the world where they would never have experienced the renown they did.

I’m happy that Crossroads Church is the church that it is, and I’m thankful for the changes we’re going through (and some of the challenges that go with growth and change).  Thanks for your patience, your involvement, and your prayers!  All of that is so important!  Your love for the church family and for those we’d like to bring with us into an ever-deepening relationship with God is also key.  Loving people is one of the best ways of serving in a church!

Jeremiah 45:2 starts this way:  “Thus says the Lord the God of Israel to you, O Baruch ….”  How would you like to be like Baruch and have a Bible verse with your own name on it ?  Something like, “This is God’s word to you, Jim, or Judy, or Tom!”  Even though we spoke last Sunday morning about the importance, in Bible interpretation, of determining who the audience is to which the biblical author was writing, the whole Bible is ours — God’s Word for us!  I hope you’re spending time in it this week and will take advantage of the opportunities we’ll have together this week to be nourished and built up in Him!

Some Notes & Important Reminders

This Sunday:

Worship at 10 am, followed by our Hot Dog Dinner outreach at the Walton Pool parking lot, 400 W Atlantic St.  Julie Kemper has been under the weather at the start of this week, so be ready for Julie to reach out to you as she starts to improve and as we get closer to Sunday!  Don’t forget, if you signed up, to bring part of the food or supplies!  Let’s all pitch in, and let’s be sure to pray for excellent connections to be made Sunday afternoon.  Thank you!

Other activities:

• There is a homeschool group using our building tonight, so we ask that you not plan on any activities at the church tonight.  Thank you!
• Immerse tomorrow night (Wednesday), 7-8:15.
• Women’s Breakfast & a Bible Study, Saturday morning, 8-9:15.
• Sunday Night Bible Study at the church Sunday evening, 6-7:15.

More:

• Oktoberfest:  Oktoberfest is this Saturday in Nevada.  The Vernon County Ministerial Association always has a pie stand at Oktoberfest as one its efforts to raise funds for its ministry.  If you would like to donate a pie, you may bring it to the Ministerial Alliance booth at the fairgrounds Saturday morning, or you may drop it off Thursday at First Baptist Church before 4 pm.

• 8-13 year-olds Bible Class:  The next class will be Sunday, October 19, during the sermon.

• Crossroads 101 Membership Class:  If you’re interested in learning more about Crossroads, and about membership at Crossroads, please join me following the worship service on October 19.  Lunch will be provided, and we should finish by 12:30.  Please sign up or let me know if you plan to be there!  Thank you!

• Wedding Reception:  Everyone is invited to the reception for Kylee and Dominick on Saturday, November 1, beginning at 5:30 pm at the Enchanted Prairie Farm.

• Gift Baskets:  Everyone interested — on Sunday, November 16, we’ll be preparing small crafts and gift baskets to deliver to residents of the Nathan Richard Care Center in December.  Meet at the church at 3:30 pm to help prepare the gifts!  Thank you!

• Congregational Meeting:  Don’t forget to mark Sunday, December 14, on your calendar for a congregational meeting following the worship service.  Everyone is welcome to stay for the meeting.  We will be voting on some by-laws updates, an open elder position, and a 2026 church budget.  If you are a member at Crossroads and would like to serve on the Nominating Committee, please let one of the elders know as soon as possible.  Thank you!

Prayers & Praise

• We thank God that David Prickett is home and feeling better.  Please continue to pray for David and Midge.  Thank you!
• Kim Reedy’s brother, Sean Murphy, has had a return of cancer.  Please be in prayer for Sean that he would find strength and help in the Lord.  Thanks for keeping all of Kim’s family in prayer at this time.
• Let’s pray for renewal in body and spirit for Julie Kemper.

Vocabulary

I had a request this week to provide some definitions to words used in the Bible, in church settings, and in songs.  But seeing as how this missive is already quite long, I’m just going to list a few of the words discussed and let you do the homework on them.  A couple of the words were used in the hymn we sang last Sunday, “May the Mind of Christ My Savior” (a great hymn and a great prayer — I hope you’ll work on learning it!  You can find the lyrics at hymnary.org or other websites.)  Other words on this vocabulary list come out of our Sunday night study in psalms, and one or two you’ll recognize from recent sermons.  How many do you know?  

It’s good to expand our vocabulary!  Some of the crude speech we hear these days results, in part, from people having a poor vocabulary.  Consider these two quotes as a motivation to keep learning!

“You can’t build up a vocabulary if you never meet any new words.  And to meet them you must read.  The more you read the better.”

“Words are important.  If you cannot say what you mean, you will never mean what you say.  And you should always mean what you say.”

Vocabulary list from last week:

• abase (verse 4 of “May the Mind of Christ My Savior”)
• channel (verse 6 of that same hymn)
• lament
• lamentation
• hermeneutics
• equity
• iniquity
• imprecation
• imprecatory

I hope you have a good week, and I hope to see you somewhere along the way!

— Tom

Hello, Crossroads Family !

There’s lots of opportunity for learning and lots of good worship going on at Crossroads right now !  It’s an exciting fall, and I’m grateful for you.  It’s amazing to me that, even in a small church, how many moving parts there are, and how many people’s participation is needed.  Thanks for all you do !  Thanks for your generous giving — our finances are currently in a good place, although we want to keep in mind our goal of moving to a full-time pastor’s salary next year in September.  That will require a significant commitment from each of us !  Thanks for praying and giving toward that important goal for the future of our church !

Our Sunday night Bible Study got off to a good start this past Sunday with an introduction to the book of Psalms.  We also spent time discussing how the psalms really are about, and for, Jesus !  Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran pastor of the 1930s, reached the conclusion that the book of Psalms is “the prayer book of Jesus Christ in the truest sense of the word.”  That causes us to read the psalms in a new light !

As we said Sunday morning, however, we don’t want to just be learners of God’s Word.  We don’t want to be people who simply know the Bible, or who know things about the Bible ; we want to be people who put God’s Word into practice.  “Receive the word implanted,” writes the Apostle James (1:21).  “Prove yourselves doers of the word and not merely hearers” (1:22).

Our elders had a good meeting after the worship service on Sunday.  Thank you for your prayers on our behalf.  We set Sunday, December 14, as the date for our year-end congregational meeting.  We would love for everyone to mark that date on your calendar and plan to attend.  At that meeting, we’ll have some by-laws amendments to vote on ; a 2026 budget proposal ; and we’ll have an election for the office of elder.  Would you like to serve on this year’s Nominating Committee ?  The Nominating Committee has the task of seeking a nominee for election to next year’s Elder Board,  If you are a member at Crossroads and would like to serve on that committee, or if you know someone else who is a member and would serve well on the Nominating Committee, please let one of the elders know.  Thank you !  Cris will have a report on our elders meeting at the conclusion of this Sunday’s worship service.

Prophecy will be part of the theme of this coming Sunday’s message.  We’ll get back into the book of Daniel and the amazing prophecies God gives there concerning the world’s future !  As I listened to a portion of the news conference today between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu concerning a peace plan for Gaza and Israel, I wondered how all the prophecies concerning Israel will affect the efforts of these world leaders and others.  Joel 3:1-3 is an interesting prophecy that says one day God will enter into judgment with the nations who divided up His land.  The prophet Zechariah also indicates that the Lord Jesus will return to earth only after the people of Israel come to a place of repentance and receive their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10-11).  These are two interesting prophecies that may be in play with what we see happening in the world today.  Let’s be in prayer.  God will be true to His Word !

I’m planning on leading a church membership course Sunday, October 19, following the worship service.  If you’re new — or if you’re interested in joining Crossroads as a member — please join us !  The main thing accomplished by membership at Crossroads is that it qualifies you to vote on matters such as will arise at our December congregational meeting.  This membership course (sometimes called “Crossroads 101”) allows you to get to know us better and allows us to know you better.  If you’re interested in being part of the class on October 19, it would be helpful to me if you would let me know in advance.  Thank you !  We’ll have a good time !

Calendar

Immerse tomorrow evening, 7 pm

Everyone is invited and welcome !  Try to read as much as you can of Isaiah 43:14 – 66:24 (pp. 132-174 in the Immerse Bible).

Breakfast & Bible Study — Saturday, Oct 4, 8 am

All women are invited for a good time of study and fellowship !

Sunday Night Bible Study — Sunday, 6 pm

“How to Read and Understand the Psalms.”  We’ll be taking a look at the praise psalms this week !  Would love to have you join us !

Hot Dog Dinner Outreach — Sunday, October 12, at Walton Pool parking lot, following worship

Come for fun and to rub shoulders with people from Nevada !  If you can, please sign up at the church to bring buns, meat, cookies, chips, or drinks.  See Julie Kemper if you need more information.  Thank you !

Evening of Worship — Wednesday, October 15, 7 pm

Instead of Immerse on October 15, we’ll enjoy a time of worship at the church.  Please plan to join us and be refreshed in the Lord.

Men’s Recharge — Thursday, October 16, 6:30 pm

Men, we’ll look at the 9th commandment on October 16, “You shall not bear false witness.”  How can we help each other with this struggle ?

8-13 year-olds Bible Class — Sunday, October 19

The next class for 8-13 year-olds will be October 19th during the sermon.  Future dates for the class are November 9, and December 7.

Membership Class — Sunday, October 19, following worship.

For anyone interested in learning more about Crossroads and our journey in bringing people into an ever-deepening relationship with God and with each other !

Wedding reception for Kylee Vestal and Dominick Goodwin — November 1, 5:30-10:00 pm

Everyone at Crossroads is invited to celebrate Kylee and Dominick’s marriage at the reception at the Enchanted Prairie Farm.  

Prayer Needs

• Please continue to pray for Kim Reedy’s mother, Linda.  We thank God that she is recovering well from knee-replacement surgery.  Please pray, too, for Kim’s brother Sean in Arkansas.  Sean has been diagnosed with a serious illness and needs care and encouragement.  Thank you !
• Heather Hall has had some serious car trouble recently.  Please pray for God’s provision for Heather.
• We’re grateful for healing for Alex Lewis.  Continue to pray for Alex’s health and in particular for his injured finger.
• Pray for Shane Dahmer as he takes exams for a new position he has applied for.
• Did you know that at least four in our Crossroads family are coaches ?  Please pray for Ryan Walker, Jessica Baker, Forrest Drury, and Bryan Townsend who are all busy with coaching responsibilities this fall.  May they bless and live out the Gospel in front of their players  
• Let’s be sure to pray for our college students — Blaiz Pace, Rachel DeWeese, Zeke Lyons, Evan Rea. 

Sunday sermons can be found on the Crossroads Facebook page, but new policies at FB allow them to stay up for only three weeks.  Let your friends know we’re there !  We’ve also begun listing Sunday’s songs in the comments section of the page in case you’d like to listen to a song we sang on Sunday later in the week !

Finally, there is an up-to-date church calendar on the Crossroads website, Crossroads Community Church – Nevada Missouri Church

“Open my eyes that I may behold wonderful things from Your law !”            — Psalm 119:18

Have a great week !

— Tom

Hello, Crossroads Family !

Lots of good things going on at Crossroads !  Lots of new faces too !  I’m thankful to God for each one of you and am looking forward to worshiping and serving Christ with you during the remainder of this week.

Don’t forget Immerse tonight at 7:00 at the church.  This would be a great time to jump in, even if you’ve missed one or two of the previous meetings.  Women’s “Breakfast and a Bible Study” meets this Saturday morning, 8:00-9:15, at the church for all interested women.  And, of course, worship this Sunday morning at 10:00.

I’m grateful for the good start to various activities this fall, including the women’s Breakfast and a Bible Study on Saturday mornings, a good men’s Recharge group last night, the relationship-building that took place last Sunday among our young families’ Family Fellowship group, and a good start to Immerse.  These are all helping us grow stronger as a church and be better equipped to minister together to our community and world.  I hope you’ll save room this week for a little spiritual “dessert” by joining our new Sunday night study group at 6:00 at the church.  We’ll begin a 6-part study on How to Read & Understand the Psalms.

Our men’s study last night was on the eighth commandment, “You shall not steal.”  Many stories were shared of having been on either end of the breaking of that commandment.  Yet, the deeper heart issue seemed to be whether we are more of a “giver” or a “taker” in life.  I enjoyed that deeper perspective.  It made me think that one of the ways we take, or steal, from others is by insisting on our own way, or on our own opinion of things as being necessarily the right one.  When we do, we often steal another person’s joy, or their trust, or we steal an opportunity for them to contribute toward some commonly held goal.  It was a good study.  It led me to remember something I have had a long time in one of my files which I’ve added at the end of this email.  

May we be doers of the Word and not hearers only !

Please pray for Linda Murphy who had surgery on her knee this week (Tuesday).  Linda, as you know, is Kim Reedy’s mother. 

Calendar

Saturday — Breakfast and a Bible Study for women.  8:00-9:15 at the church.

Sunday —

• Worship at 10:00 at the church.  Children’s Church during the sermon for 0-7 year-olds.
• Elders meeting following the worship service.
• Sunday night Bible Study at the church.  6:00-7:15 pm.

We’re looking at a tentative date of Sunday, October 12, for the next Hot Dog Dinner outreach at the Walton Pool parking lot.

Nine Words for Healing Relationships

I have in my files a church bulletin that’s probably at least 20 years old, from Ashley River Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina, from a summer when our family was vacationing (camping !) in Charleston.  It was a good message and I hope will be a helpful reminder to you and me today.  From Ephesians 5:21, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”

The nine words that heal relationships are these :

1.  I was wrong.    (Honesty)

Fractured relationships prevent true worship (Matthew 5:23-24) and must be addressed quickly (Eph 4:26-27 — “the Sundown Rule”).

2.  Please forgive me.  (Humility)

True repentance is more than regret (“If I had it to do over again, I wouldn’t do it”), and more than remorse (“I know I did a wrong thing ; I regret it and I’m genuinely sorry).  True repentance produces a change of heart and conduct.

3.  I forgive you !  (Harmony)

Biblical forgiveness is not forgetting what has happened ; rather it’s “letting go” of the desire for the offender to be repaid for their wrong.  Send away the grudge that remains.  It’s a choice, and for Christians it must be a predetermined choice.

Can we do it ?  I think we can with the Lord’s help !

Honesty, humility, and harmony : three good qualities to ask God to supply us at Crossroads Church !  

I hope you have a wonderful second half of the week, and I look forward to seeing you as God gives opportunity !

— Tom

Hello, Crossroads Family !

Someone is powerwashing my house this morning.  We all need a good powerwashing of our lives from time to time, don’t we !  Let’s pray God would do that for us !  

I’m grateful for our church family and the mission we’re on to grow ever deeper in a relationship with God and with each other.  And not only with each other but also building Gospel bridges to those around us in our community.  

I appreciate that you put up with a pastor who is always asking questions.  One of the things I’ve loved about being part of the Evangelical Free Church is its commitment to emphasizing the “primary” things of the Christian life and allowing for differences on things we might consider to be “secondary.”  At the same time, the longer I walk with Christ and the more I contemplate making all of life His, secondary questions also seem to be important.  So I appreciate that you’re willing to dig and discover and grow and, to the best of our ability, follow our great Savior obediently in all things !

I appreciate your compassion.  What a wonderful quality of this congregation !  And with compassion, you also have much passion.  You’re passionate about the people and projects that are part of your life, and you’re passionate about understanding God’s Word.  I’m grateful for that.  Jesus was also a passionate person ; it’s written about Him that zeal for God’s house “consumed” Him (John 2:17).

With passion, let us also work hard to maintain and grow unity.  One of you was speaking to me recently about the Nevada High School football team, telling me that it’s a good team this year because the young men play unified.  Unity is important in all things, and especially in a church.  Love is our bond of unity.  Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples : if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).  

As I came online to write this TMG today, I glanced at an internet headline — one of those headlines that is not very important but says temptingly, “Click on me !”  The headline read, “Survey : These 10 fast food chains have dipped in quality in 2025.”  I didn’t bother to find out which chains these were, but it caused me to think that the quality of life at Crossroads Church has increased, not decreased, this year … thanks to all of you !

Here’s some good news I received this week from Emmanuel Evangelical Free Church, the church I pastored for fifteen years in Hermann, Missouri.  I learned in an email that an announcement was made last Sunday morning that the church had made its final mortgage payment !  I’m thrilled to hear that !  That’s a project we began in 2009, so it feels like they have done a great job in faithfully pursuing God’s call upon them.  It was roughly a one million dollar building project at the time, although the loan itself was not as much as that.  Emmanuel EFC, at the time, was a congregation much like ours.  So, let’s trust God to provide and to lead as He has already done so many times for us.  Thank you for giving generously to the church as we begin to head down the final part of 2025.  Remember that our hope is to increase giving in such a way that we can include a full-time pastor’s salary in the 2026 budget.

I look forward to the ways God will encourage, bless, challenge, and powerwash us during the second half of this week — including at Immerse (tonight, 7:00) ; at the women’s Breakfast & Bible Study (Saturday, 8 am) ; and at worship this Sunday morning at 10:00.  We’ll have Children’s Church during the sermon for 0-7 year-olds, and also our 8-13 year-olds Bible class.  (Thanks for praying for children and young people at Crossroads !  We could still use some additional helpers in Children’s Church.)  Our new “Family Fellowship” group (families with young children) is going bowling Sunday afternoon.  Would you pray for a great time of encouragement and relationship-building for these parents and their children ?  Thank you !

Some dates and reminders :

Immerse tonight, 7:00-8:15, at the church.  Everyone is welcome !  Come, no matter how much or little of the reading you’ve done !  You’ll enjoy the fellowship and discussion.  A good midweek break !

Women’s Breakfast & Bible Study, Saturday morning, 8-9:15, at the church.  This is a good time of fellowship and encouragement to women !  Contact Erin Townsend if you have a question (ektownsend12@gmail.com).

Men’s Recharge next Tuesday, September 23, 6:30-8:00 pm, at the church.  We’re meeting this month on a Tuesday instead of Thursday !  Men, I hope you’ll come out and be encouraged by the fellowship and discussion.  I understand chili is on the menu that evening !  Come hungry.

Sunday night Bible Study group starts September 28, 6pm, at the church.  I’ll be leading a study in “How to Read & Understand the Psalms.”  More information in the bulletin this Sunday.  Bring a Bible and an interest in better understanding how to approach the psalms !  We’ll meet for six Sunday nights.

In addition to all of the above, we have an Elders meeting on Sunday, the 28th, following worship.  We’re tentatively looking at Sunday, October 12, as a date for the next Hot Dog Dinner outreach in the parking lot of Walton Pool.  I’m planning to schedule a Membership Class in October.  Would you let me know if you would be interested in attending ?  That will help me nail down the date.  Thank you !Some prayer needs :

Austin Forkner, Julie’s son, has injured his leg.  Would you keep Austin in your prayers.  Austin has suffered a lot of physical injuries as part of his Motocross career.  We also give thanks to God that LJ Austin, Julie’s dad, is recovering well from heart surgery.

Let’s continue to pray to God for our nation’s need for healing ; for protection for those who lead in various capacities ; and for peace.  God hears.  

A different perspective of ministry to churches and pastors

Mark Farran is a friend of mine who serves with the Evangelical Free Church Central District as one of the district’s Associate Superintendents.  Currently, Mark is filling in as Acting Superintendent due to a heart attack suffered by our Superintendent, Mike Shields.  Mark and his wife were missionaries with the Evangelical Free Church in Romania, and after that they served Zion Evangelical Free Church in Bland, Missouri, just down the road from Hermann.  The letter below is one Mark sent out this week as part of the regular Central District update.  It may give you a different perspective on church ministry and ways you can pray.  I think you’ll also enjoy getting to know Mark a little bit.  Thanks for praying for him and for his wife Jamie, and for Mike Shields and all the Central District staff.  They are able to serve thanks to the financial support of individuals and churches in our district.

See you soon !

— Tom

I regularly get asked, “What is it like stepping into the superintendent role?”  As I have processed this question many times now, I always have a variety of emotions surface.  The first is gratitude.  I am so thankful for how much Mike taught me over the last three years.  He brought me along to meetings, taught me why he made decisions the way he did, and would constantly ask me, “If you were in my shoes, what would you do?”  Even before I was in the role he was teaching me how to process what it would be like.  

The second emotion I feel is low grade anxiety on the amount of work to be accomplished.  My heart resonates with the Apostle Paul’s statement about the daily pressures and anxiety for all of the churches (2 Cor. 11:28).  Our churches and pastors regularly encounter hardships.  It is taxing to watch faithful servants of Christ endure adversity and mistreatment.  What is most burdensome, however, is when leaders and churches lose sight of hope and the immeasurable greatness of His power towards us who believe.

The third emotion I feel is appreciation.  I have an immense appreciation for our pastors and lay leaders.  Nothing encourages me more than seeing a unified pastoral and elder team courageously pressing forward with a Gospel-centered vision.  All across EFCA Central we have leadership teams who are committed to growing as life-giving churches.  Some of those leadership teams are:

• Pursuing a name change to communicate relevance to their community.  
• Working towards leadership health by diving into the tedious work of bylaw revision.
• Striving to become more hospitable by revamping their process of how guests are welcomed and loved.  
• Boldly confronting unhealthy areas in the church. 
• Pressing forward with building programs and capital campaigns to have a bigger impact in the community. 

Each one of these churches have leadership teams which are living out the values of life-giving churches: Gospel Clarity, Gospel Boldness, Gospel Compassion, and Gospel Humility.  

Churches living out these values display it with an insatiable hunger to see God work.  Life-giving churches have committed leaders who pray for God to be at work in their church and community.  In a world that is so complex and multi-faceted, there is a refreshing simplicity to Gospel ministry.  We are called to glorify God by making disciples of Jesus Christ.  

As you consider your church today, take some time to pray for your pastoral staff, elders, and lay leaders.  Pray for your congregation to have a hunger and thirst to grow, and for your community around you to be reached with the Gospel.

For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might. (Ephesians 1: 15-19)

It is a joy serving Christ with you all!
Mark Farran

Hello Crossroads Family !

This is early for the TMG, but I wanted to make sure you got a reminder of things happening this week !

Immerse – Wednesday night, 7:00-8:15, at the church

Even if you didn’t sign up, please come !  Immerse is a good time of fellowship, encouragement, and learning from God’s Word !  We’re reading the Old Testament prophetical books this semester.  The format of the Immerse Bible (no chapter or verse numbers) makes understanding the message of these books clear !  It’s one of the best readings I’ve experienced of the books of Amos and Hosea.  If you have the Immerse Bible, please try to read p. A15 through p. 54 before tomorrow night.  Those pages correspond to the books of Amos, Hosea, and Micah if you don’t have the Immerse Bible yet. Read as much as you can, and even if it’s only a little, come join us Wednesday night !

Women’s Retreat — this Saturday, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm, at Kamp Keirsey

If you’re carpooling, please meet in the church parking lot at 7:30 Saturday morning.  Let’s pray that God would bless this gathering of women, build relationships, refresh lives, and give strength and wisdom to those leading.  Email or text Erin Townsend if you have questions about this Saturday.

Women’s Breakfast & Bible Study begins Saturday, September 20, 8 am, at the church

We hope you’ll sign up by this coming Sunday so we can order materials for you !  There is a sign-up sheet at the church.  This is a 6-week study using Ruth Chou Simon’s book Now and Not Yet.  More than that, it’s a time of connection and encouragement each Saturday morning with other women who know and love the Lord.  Contact Erin Townsend if you have questions or need more information.  Thank you !

More :

• Next 8-13 year-olds Bible Class — Sunday, September 21, during the sermon.
• Men’s Recharge — Tuesday, September 23, 6:30-8:00 pm.
• Elders Meeting — Sunday, September 28, following worship
• Sunday Evening Small Group Study in the Psalms begins September 28, 6 pm, at the church :  “How to Understand & Interpret the Psalms”

Prayer & Praise

• Let’s be sure to keep the McCallister family in our prayers as they visit individuals and churches who are part of their support team and as they adjust to life in the U.S.
• Bud and Jan Beal are new to Crossroads.  Bud is having some surgery on his hand today.  Thanks for your prayers for Bud and Jan.
• Continued healing for Forrest and others fighting illness and injury.
• For Erlinda as she attends a work-related workshop this week.
• Please pray for friends of Bryan Townsend’s family in Arkansas.  Sherry Miller, the mother of these family friends, experienced a brain aneurysm and is in ICU in Little Rock.  Thanks for your prayers.
• We thank God and pray for the women’s retreat this Saturday, and especially for those who will be teaching and facilitating the day’s activities.  
• My daughter Emma speaks this Friday at a women’s retreat at Hidden Acres Camp, in Iowa, organized by our Evangelical Free Church Central District.  Thanks for your prayers for what she will be teaching to women from Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas.
• Let’s pray for those from Crossroads who are, or will be, traveling across the country and to other parts of the world this month :  Diane Knoche, Cris & Donna, Griff, Catherine Moss, and others.  
• Let’s be sure to pray for those from Crossroads who serve in public schools, area colleges, and in homeschools.  Grateful for those who teach children — there are a lot of us at Crossroads !  Let’s pray that God would raise up young people who know and love the Lord !
• Let’s be sure to pray for Blaiz Pace and Rachel DeWeese as they adjust to student life at Pitt State and build friendships there.
• We are envisioning a door in the wall that currently divides the children’s room from the small room adjacent to it at the church.  This would provide some additional children’s space for our growing group of kids in Children’s Church.  Please pray as we seek the proper materials and approach to this project.

Thank You !

This note from Kylee Vestal.  Kylee’s and Dominick’s wedding date is November 1.

Crossroads Church Family,

I would like to sincerely thank you for allowing us to use the church to host my bridal shower.  It was such a wonderful and meaningful day, and being able to celebrate in a space that holds personal and spiritual meaning made it even more special !  Your kindness and generosity during these last exciting moments before the big day truly mean so much to me.  Dominick and I are so blessed to be part of a church family that continues to show love in so many ways.

With many thanks,

Kylee Vestal

Final Thoughts

Jesus said two interesting things about how He went about doing things in life :

• “The Son does nothing unless it is something He sees the Father doing” (John 5:19).
• “I speak these things as the Father taught Me” (John 8:28).

In other words, the Son does only what He sees and hears the Father doing.  A friend of mine told me this week that if we lived this way, most of us would be sitting around doing nothing because we don’t know what the Father is doing or saying !  His observation caused me to realize my own need to take time to discern what the Father is doing, and to join Him in that rather than just my own projects or ideas.

The Bible says, “They that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31).  Let’s be people of action and responsibility but who are also able to wait and take their cues from God as He gives them to us.  For the Christian, waiting involves prayer.  We can trust God fully as we stay in communication with Him !

I look forward to seeing some of you at Immerse tomorrow evening !

— Tom